Abstract

The Cantarell Field, discovered in 1976, is one of the largest oil fields in the world and the largest one offshore. It is located on the continental shelf in the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico, in the eastcentral part of the Campeche Sound, 80 km north of Ciudad del Carmen, in the State of Campeche, Mexico.

This mature giant field has produced 8.53 billion barrels of 22° API oil and 3.56 tcf of gas during 22 years of exploitation and still has 13.39 bboe of remnant 3P reserves. The geologic structure has, traditionally, been considered to be made up of four blocks: Akal, Nohoch, Chac, and Kutz, being the first the most important one, with more than 90% of the reserves. In may 2002, produces 1.91 mmbod and 700 mmcfgd from 191 wells, most of them completed in an early Cretaceous carbonate talus breccia.

The possibility of a structurally favorable repeated section being present beneath the Cantarell Field was recognized more than ten years ago, but a lack of quality imaging and understanding of the structurally complex area, delayed the exploratory drilling. Initial results indicate that the new discovery, called Sihil, mayan word for autochtonous, falls in the P1 expectations. Booked 3P reserves for the discovery, most of them in a late Cretaceous-early Paleocene talus breccia facies were 1.23 bboe of both 22° and 30° oils, with appraisal drilling establishing three additional secondary production levels: an Eocene grainstone, an early Cretaceous dolomitized fractured mudstone to wackestone and a late Jurassic oolitic grainstone.

The Sihil discovery confirmed the validity of a thrust fault play and allowed Pemex E&P to establish an exploration strategy for other structures on trend with similar characteristics that, when tested, will add even more hydrocarbon reserves to this once considered exploratory mature area.

Introduction

This paper is an update version of an earlier one prepared by the Exploration, Drilling, and Cantarell Asset groups of the Northeastern Marine Region of Pemex E&P, that was presented both, at OTC and AAPG conferences. We want to acknowledge Pemex E&P for the permission and support to present this paper and to all the Pemex personnel involved in the discovery and appraisal of this new field.

The Cantarell field, discovered in 1976 offshore the state of Campeche, in southeastern Mexico, constitutes a world class supergiant. Located on the continental shelf of the southern Gulf of Mexico, within what is known as the Campeche sound, some 80 kilometers NNW of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche, Mexico (Fig.1), is considered to be a mature field. It has produced approximately 8.53 mmmbo of 20 to 24° API gravities and 3.56 tcf during 22 years of exploitation.

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PEMEX DISCOVERIES OF NEW OIL BEN
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